Information sheets
Australian prisoners of war: Second World War
Prisoners of the Japanese:
Hainan Island
Important general background information - finding your
POW
Online Resources
Official records
Private records
Books
Important general background information - finding your POW
The Encyclopedia entry Australian prisoners of war of the Japanese Second World War contains general information about the capture of Australian troops as well as entries on each location of imprisonment.
Online resources
The Memorial's website provides extensive information about our collections. This includes databases of the Roll of Honour, over 200,000 Photograph and Art images, and the Film, Private Records, Books, Serials and Sound collections. In addition, the Memorial's official records collection can be searched on the National Archives RecordSearch database. By consulting these databases, you will identify further information or particular items in the collections relevant to your interests.
Official Records
[Diaries, Personal (including Enemy) - General:] Diary written by VX 23913 L/Sgt D G P Foley, Bakli Bay Prisoner of War Camp, Hainan Island. AWM54 253/1/4
[Prisoners of War and Internees - Treatment by Enemy:] Arrangements for search for AMF personnel. Report on Shanghai position. Australian POW on Hainan Island. Interrogation of recovered POWs for casualty and atrocities. Information nominal rolls. AWM54 779/4/16
[War Crimes and Trials - General:] Petitions by Japanese War Criminals against findings, and sentence by Military Court, arising from Hainan Island Trial, Reports on interrogation of Japanese war criminals by Australian War Crimes Section, 1947/1948. AWM54 1010/1/1
Nominal Roll of Australian, American and Dutch prisoners of war transferred from Ambon to Hainan Island. AWM127 76
Records of Australian Military Forces prisoners of war and missing, Far East and South West Pacific Islands. Contains nominal rolls and paybook photographs of POWs. Searchable by name, theatre of war, unit location of POW camp. AWM232. The nominal rolls can also be searched online.
Private Records
Athol (Tom) Pledger 2/12 Fld Amb. Personal papers kept while POW on Ambon and Hainan Island PR00871
Books
Allan S. Walker, Middle East and Far East, Australia in the War of 1939-1945, Series 5 (Medical), vol. II (Canberra : Australian War Memorial, 1953).
Lionel Wigmore, The Japanese Thrust, Australia in the War of 1939-1945, Series 1 (Army), vol. IV (Canberra : Australian War Memorial, 1957).
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